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Saturday, July 7, 2012

We have gone beyond COI recommendations: SMRT

SINGAPORE - SMRT says that in some areas, it has gone beyond the
Committee of Inquiry's (COI) recommendations regarding December's MRT
breakdowns.

In a statement released to the media today, the transport provider
responded to and addressed key recommendations the COI submitted on
Monday.

Promising to further follow up on the findings, SMRT said it is
reassured the COI recognised that the critical safety systems performed
as intended, and commuter safety was not compromised.

SMRT stated that it has followed a maintenance
regime that has worked well for past 25 years but recognised that clear
challenges arise from the ageing of the MRT system and higher strains
from increased train runs and system usage.

However, SMRT maintained that in some areas it has gone beyond the recommendations.

Regarding third rail claws, the committee had recommended that SMRT
and LTA review the current design of the Third Rail Support Assemblies
(TRSA) with a view to develop a more robust fastening system.

A spokesperson from SMRT said that all third rail claws at floating
slab tracks will be changed out to the positive-locking fifth generation
claw by the end of August 2012, while new designs are being evaluated
for the rest of the system.

SMRT also said that it is now in the evaluation and testing stage of
installing sensors on trains to detect sags and "steps" (vertical
misalignment) in the third rail.

The company revealed that it commissioned an internal investigation
team, independent of management, to help identify improvements. Working
closely with the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the company also began a
programme to improve service reliability and incident response
capabilities.

Stating that a number of improvements have been completed, SMRT also
said that some are in the midst of implementation, with final completion
awaiting the arrival of equipment or materials, or pending successful
outcome of trial solutions.

Backup power supply

Earlier this week the COI recommended that SMRT could increase the
frequency of checks on the battery of the back up power supply as it was
found that the capacity of the battery had deteriorated since the last
check about two years earlier.

COI also advised SMRT to consider replacing the existing batteries,
which are more than 10 years old, in the first generation trains with
new ones.

SMRT said it has already increased the frequency of checks to two years from the three and a half years.

Multi-Function Vehicle (MFV)

The COI recommended that SMRT replace the existing MFV and enhance
the Standard Operative Procedure (SOP) for MFV operation to ensure that
staff members operate it in a manner that ensures accurate track
measurements.

In response SMRT said it has already improved SOP and is currently in
the process of procuring additional vehicles equipped with the latest
available technology. It is expected to get the vehicles by 2015.

The company has also scheduled a feasibility study in August this year to upgrade current the MFV with the latest software.

SMRT said it will implement further improvements to the system in
order to enhance the reliability and service levels for commuters.

Mr Tan Ek Kia, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of
SMRT, said that SMRT is proactively changing the way it operates, and
working to improve all areas of its organisation and processes.

"We are confident that this will improve our rail system and service," he said.